Asking pip to look at award again

NeilCr

Danday wrote: »

Thanks Neil,

This is the link.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/help-with-your-pip-review-form/

Under no change they advise no need for evidence, you should carry on with a new award as before.
If there is a change, at the bottom of the page it says not to send any evidence in that is more than 24 months old.

Missed that one this morning in all my reading

I am supposed to be having a beer with the PIP expert from our CAB soon. If I do, I will ask him for his thoughts. He has been on some detailed courses for PIP quite recently and came back with suggestions of changes to the way we do things

Danday

Thanks Neil, I do worry if advice given, even in good faith differs from what others are also saying.
Can I just mention please that sometimes I dispair when you cannot get an appointment at the CAB or other agency. It does leave the claimant out on a limb given what you say that the experts in PIP are there but only some manage to access it whilst others can't.Personally I have never been able to get access to any professional help. Have tried CAB many times but was always told that it would be weeks for an appointment which always takes it past the date when the forms have to be returned. It would have helped my a great deal if someone that knew what they were doing would have just given me 10mins of their time.

poppy12345

I don't even know why you're so concerned about this evidence that "mustn't" be older than 2 years. Just send everything you have they'll either use it or not. After all it can't help to just send it. I've always sent everything i have, as i stated yesterday. Seems like you're making a huge mountain out of it.

CAB are mostly run on volunteers and are by no means experts. They are the same as a lot of people that give advice here. You'll find that most areas are over full to the brim and very difficult to get an appointment with them.

NeilCr

I can only tell you that at the one I am at we are overwhelmed. We are the only such agency in the area (no Shelter) and everyone, and I mean everyone sends people to us. Council, police, solicitors, other charities.

We are mainly volunteers and recruiting and retaining them is an ongoing problem. I know. I did it for a while. We do okay but we do not have enough to provide the service we would like to.

I do not know how your local one operates (different CABs have different ways of working). We offer a drop in where you will be seen for ten minutes or so. That works fine with the right number of volunteers and clients (!) but we often have to turn people away. We try to offer a phone service but that is problematic - we do do emails though.

And it depends on funding, too. CABs are charities - our local council is more generous than many but the funding only pays for basic staff and services. They are hard pressed by central government cuts and, in many ways, I am surprised we get what we do.

And, some clients do not help, either. They come in clutching their PIP forms having had them for weeks and expect you to complete them there and then.

I cannot and will not speak for your local CAB but I know that many in our area have the same problems as us - and in some cases worse (especially with the funding)

NeilCr

poppy12345 wrote: »

I don't even know why you're so concerned about this evidence that "mustn't" be older than 2 years. Just send everything you have they'll either use it or not. After all it can't help to just send it. I've always sent everything i have, as i stated yesterday. Seems like you're making a huge mountain out of it.

CAB are mostly run on volunteers and are by no means experts. They are the same as a lot of people that give advice here. You'll find that most areas are over full to the brim and very difficult to get an appointment with them.

I agree poppy.

The only thing I would say is that because you do a lot of forms you do get a bit of expertise and get to understand how it works. I was our DLA “expert” for a while and had a very good success (if that is the right word!) rate.

Danday

Thanks poppy, to me it is an issue. Maybe I am a bit pedantic in that I always try my best to follow the rules set down and the advice I gather. There must have been a very good reason why this cut off date is shown. Maybe it was set to stop people sending in everything from the date they were born and swamping the system.
I was brought up to tell the truth and follow the rules and in doing so I would not go far wrong .I have to do the right thing

Muttleythefrog

Danday wrote: »

Thanks poppy, to me it is an issue. Maybe I am a bit pedantic in that I always try my best to follow the rules set down and the advice I gather. There must have been a very good reason why this cut off date is shown. Maybe it was set to stop people sending in everything from the date they were born and swamping the system.
I was brought up to tell the truth and follow the rules and in doing so I would not go far wrong .I have to do the right thing

I would take the view that the 'rules' are set up for their benefit not yours.... and play the game using whatever evidence you see fit.... after all.. while the DWP DMs might take little interest often in supporting evidence of any date it would take a pretty daft tribunal panel to ignore a 20 year old report saying you had learning difficulties from birth unless they had good conflicting evidence. In my case the DWP and the assessor were happy to use the fact I went to mainstream school/university to deny me certain descriptor applicability contrary to sense.. I left Uni in the early 1990s.. so they used 'evidence' over 20 years old that wasn't even in black and white! I'm reminded of the early days of ESA whereby the letter sent by ATOS HC along with the questionnaire expressly said not to send anything back except the completed form. The DWP DMs duly complained about the lack of supporting evidence from claimants.... well... because they followed direction in black and white not to send any! Not been around the site much recently.. but perhaps given what I've read on related threads... worth reminding that these assessments are not theirs.. they're yours.... try to take control of the information agenda at every opportunity including the face to face assessment. Always think of the relevant information to say in addition to simple answers.... "but you have no difficulties doing x?"..'well actually I have significant problems doing x because I have y. I'm unable to do x without z helping me. They help me by doing v. When I try to do x with the help of z it leaves me feeling w.'... that kind of thing.

poppy12345

Danday wrote: »

Thanks poppy, to me it is an issue. Maybe I am a bit pedantic in that I always try my best to follow the rules set down and the advice I gather. There must have been a very good reason why this cut off date is shown. Maybe it was set to stop people sending in everything from the date they were born and swamping the system.
I was brought up to tell the truth and follow the rules and in doing so I would not go far wrong .I have to do the right thing

By not sending in all the evidence you have could result in depriving yourself of an award. It also doesn't mean you're not telling the truth.

I really do not understand some people. I wish you good luck with your review. I'm out...

Dreamnine

Everyone should be reviewed regularly and promptly - it's only fair to the taxpayers.

time2getalife

Hi Danday
My daughter did the same as you and only sent in evidence within the 2 years previous for her renewal last year,yet the assessor and the decision maker used evidence from her DLA award in 2012. So from now on I would advised people to send in whatever you have that is relevant to your conditions.